54 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC 



trees; the greatest labor is in gathering and drying it, and 

 without slaves this business would be unproductive. The cof- 

 fee is gathered, the pod taken off — each one contains two 

 grains-»-and spread out to dry in a yard with a tile floor; its 

 quality then depends very much upon the care taken in turning 

 it. A great deal of the coffee consumed in the United States 

 is from this place, and it is only the first quality which will 

 sell there. The second quality is sent to Europe, where, in 

 many places, it is parched or roasted and ground before it is 

 sold. Though not a tree is cultivated beyond a hundred miles 

 from Rio, the whole world might be supplied with coffee from 

 this port alone. 



The coffee tree came originally from upper Ethiopia, where 

 it has been known from time immemorial, and is still culti- 

 vated with success. It is supposed very generally that a Mo- 

 lacho, a kind of priest, named Chadely," was the first Arab 

 who made use. of coffee; and he was led to it, to free himself 

 from a continual somnolence which interrupted his nocturnal 

 devotions and prayers. The Derves and religious mussulmen 

 imitated him, and the ^'Legistas" followed their example. 

 From the coasts of the Red Sea, its use passed, by means of 

 travellers, to Medina and Mecca, and all the Mahometan coun- 

 tries. Public coffee houses were established in Persia under 

 the regulation of the government, and became the fashionable 

 resort for the idle to lounge, and the busy to rest ; politicians 

 to talk of news; poets to recite their verses, and the <'Mola- 

 chos" to dispute. In Constantinople the introduction of coffee 

 caused a great sensation. The caffes were crowded, and the 

 mosques were deserted ; therefore the mufti declared coffee to 

 be comprehended within the law of Mahomet, which forbids 

 the use of strong liquors, and in consequence, the Porte shut 

 up the coffee house doors. 



In 1652, a merchant named " Edward,'^ on his return from 

 the Levant, introduced coffee into London. The English were 

 pleased with it ; and since that time its use has been adopted 

 over all Europe and America ; but to a moderate extent com- 

 pared with countries where the use of wines is prohibited. 



In Arabia the rich only partake of it, while the poor make 



